The Cosmic Story: Aries Full Moon 2016

The Cosmic Story: Aries/Libra Full Moon 2016

Make Love Not War

Volatile. Tense. Strained. Charged. Explosive. Inflammatory. Turbulent.

This weekend's Full Moon is supercharged by disruptive Uranus, the newly discovered dwarf planet Eris, intense Pluto and assertive Mars. Wow! Explosive energies. Or transformative energies. It's up to us. The Full Moon falls right into the lap of the intense Pluto/Uranus squares of 2012-2015. Have we woken up and evolved yet?

While most of us know about revolutionary Uranus and evolutionary Pluto and their 60s dance, and the always on-demand warrior archetype of Mars, few of us know about this new 2^nd largest dwarf planet in our solar system out beyond Pluto. Named after the Greek goddess Eris who was made famous in Homer's Iliad as the Goddess of Discord, Strife & War. As with all patriarchal myths, we have to dig deeper to see the real goddess energy behind the perceived (by Greek men) energy.

In Homer's tale of the Trojan war, Eris is the sister of Ares, the war god. When she isn't invited to a wedding, she comes anyway and roles a golden apple into the banquet hall where all the Greek gods are celebrating. For the Fairest One it says. Thereby causing Strife among the gods, who turn to a human prince, Paris of Troy, to make their choice between Hera/Power, Athena/Wise Strategy and Aphrodite/Love & Beauty. The human prince chooses Love. And so starts the Trojan War.

Like the 13^th Faerie/witch/wise woman in the fairy tale Briar Rose or The Sleeping Beauty of the Woods, this aspect of the Divine Feminine was rejected by patriarchy, and it will always cause trouble if we don't acknowledge it. This is the feminine warrior who stands up for the truth of our hearts. And when she's ignored and enslaved, she causes strife and discontent. It's a big Shadow coming into clearer view in America at the moment. What kills love quicker than being forced? Aphrodite with her beauty and sexuality has been made to serve all patriarchal systems, and now we see the disease of that rape. Aphrodite's revenge is to cut ourselves and others off from our hearts and souls.

When we 'disconnect from our hearts', we're disconnected from our essential grounding and are plagued by our fears and insecurities. Then we disconnect from others. Through fear's lies and hypocrisy, we create discord and strife, choosing competition, domination and control rather than cooperation, consideration and compromise. And to win what? Money, power, fame—all the things that young prince Paris rejected. And the Beatles sang, “Can't buy me love!”

 

The core disease of our society is the disconnection between our Heart and our Head.

So the Sacred Marriage of Love and Strength must be consumated within each of us.

According to Wikipedia, the Greeks had another view of Eris. In Hesiod's Theogony, Eris/Strife, the daughter of Nix/Night, brings forth her children: Hardship, Forgetfulness, Starvation, Pains, Battles, Wars, Murders, Quarrels, Lies, Stories, Disputes, Anarchy, Ruin and false Oaths.

It's important to understand how our Western culture has been shaped by a patriarchal mindset. Strife does cause hardship, pain, forgetfulness, murders, quarrels, anarchy and ruin. And of course, false oaths, lies or broken contracts do cause strife. As the daughter of Nix/Night, Eris' mysteries are dark, but not evil. Starvation, forgetfulness, pains, stories and disputes comprise the painful aspects of life. That's just part of having a human, earthly nature. That's what we're here on Earth to experience. Perhaps it's even our soul's initiation: Who do we become in the face of the darkness of human nature? How do we handle those experiences? Do we choose war and betrayal? Or courage and compassion?

Strife and discord are part of the human experience. But the interesting thing is that if you look up the origin of the word discord, it means dis-against and cor-heart. So discord means to go against the heart. Of course it does. We are not thinking with our hearts when we choose wars, murders, quarrels, disputes and lies. Paris was a smart man when he choose love. Perhaps he was a follower of the Goddess, a kind and strong warrior of heart. And so he chose connection. But the rest of the guys were set on war and spoils, hell bent on strife. This story sets the tone for for the next 4000 years of patriarchy. Make War, not Love!

So what does this have to do with our upcoming Full Moon?

The Aries/Libra Full Moon, October 15-16, 2016

The Aries/Libra Full Moon occurs on October 15 at 9:23pm PDT and on October 16^th at 12:23am EDT/ 4:23am GMT. 

The Sabian symbol for the Sun at 24* Libra is: A butterfly with an extra left wing, balancing on a wreath of baby's breath. This is an image of delicacy, for what is more insubstantial than baby's breath? What is the delicate balance we have to sustain? Butterfly is an apt symbol for the psychological freedom that comes from transformation. Butterfly symbolizes our soul and for this butterfly to have a third wing goes back to the tension of opposites and the transcendent function which creates the new pathway. And of course, left belongs to the feminine, so the feminine capacity for imagination is becoming more conscious and connected to the Self. Steve Eardley's The Revised Sabian Symbols states that this image is connected to Terpsichore, the Muse of Dance, to the High Priestess and to Aphrodite, 'to grace and poise and to graceful harmony and interdependence'. Our conscious viewpoint must be graceful if we want to relate well with others. Why be crude?

The Sabian symbol for the Moon and Eris at 24* Aries is: Spring breeze blows a gauzy white curtain into the shape of a cornucopia. The breath of new life, those gentle Spring breezes, can shape our imaginations. When we open our inner windows and let in fresh air, the thoughts and ideas that are 'in the air' take shape for us. Stay connected with your heart while you listen to the wind. The cornicopia is a symbol of abundance and nurturing. Why not imagine what good things you desire? Now this is where the balance needs to be struck between Self and Other. Yes, imagine what you desire, but also keep in mind the needs of other beings and the Earth. This mindset will ensure prosperity for all of us.

The Sabian symbol for Uranus conjoining the Moon at 23* is: A woman in a summer dress is carrying a precious veiled burden. The word burden comes from the same root word as 'to bear, to give birth, to carry'. When I first saw this symbol, I immediately felt the woman was carrying a baby. There is something precious about new life that needs to be veiled from too many eyes and opinions. The summer dress goes along with the cornicopia—summer is a time of growth and abundance. So there's that abundant attitude. And yet, she has a responsibility (part of the burden) to that veiled being. Once again, how do we make the Other a precious part of our consciousness? 

Every year, the Aries/Libra Full Moon makes us aware of how we balance Self with Others. Aries fire leaps into the world, ready to take on any experience to achieve its purpose, which is the search for an individual identity—scientist, inventor, warrior, mother, teacher, writer, fisherman, tinker, farmer, artist… . There's that Spring breeze blowing our imagination wide open! And because that's Aries purpose, Aries energy is self-directed. What do I want? What will fulfill me? It's ruler is Mars the Warrior, because we need both his desire and his will to grapple with life to get what we want.

Libra's steady flow of air circulates our breath and connects us to others, motivating Libra's purpose, which is to learn how to be in relationship with others. Libra is open to listening to, working with, helping and loving other beings and uses her ability to connect to others to bring fairness and balance to situations. Libra's ruler is Venus/Aphrodite, the goddess energy of Love, Sensuality and Wisdom. The energy of connection.

So at the Aries/Libra Full Moon, we work to unite these opposites of Self and Other. When the Warrior loves and is loved by the Goddess of Love, he becomes the Protector of Life. Whether we speak of Arthur and Guinevere, Mars and Venus, Aragon and Arwen, a warrior's energy needs to be bound by Love, otherwise he just wars on everyone and everything. The strength and power of the Masculine needs the softness and heart of the Feminine to make the best warriors.

So how do we hold the balance? As Jung would say, we need to stand in the tension of opposites, working to reconcile opposing needs, and wait until a third way opens for us. Then watch life change. What better energies to work with than the power of our will and the power of our heart's love, since this is the time for us to stand up for the truth of who we are at the same time as we also stand up for other people, for our environment and all of Earth's children. Hold both in mind until you figure out what you need to do.

This Full Moon is once again resonating with the waning Uranus in Aries/Pluto in Capricorn square. Revolution and evolution on a personal and cultural level. When we throw together the awakening, disruptive energies of Uranus with Eris' warrior energies on this Aries Moon, we can certainly expect the unexpected this weekend. Full Moons facilitate an awareness of something in our unconscious that's been influencing us. Our Shadow. A hurt, a pain, a grievance that shapes our actions. If we leave these unexamined feelings simmering in the unconscious, they can shape events in our outer lives, magnetizing experiences that will shake us and wake us up. Especially if we keep disconnecting from our hearts.

Pluto just turned to direct motion in the past few weeks, and so begins the next phase of his demolition derby. Mars, that warrior ruler of Aries, has joined Pluto in Capricorn, making for a dynamic duo that challenges this Full Moon. Our desires, shaped either by the patriarchy's vision or by a new vision of the possible future, become the hinge of these energies, and it's up to us whether they are used for life or for destruction.

Pluto reveals the horrific dead matter of our culture, such as the revelations about Donald Trump's crude sexual mindset, only the latest example of an old collective, patriarchal male mindset of domination and ownership over women and our bodies. Or Pluto reveals our own mindset. Those Hillary emails show us what all politicians have to do to use their power. Truthfully, without being naive, politics does take maneuvering and changing positions which feels like a lie to many of us. Besides the missing email issue (which was completely ignored when Bush & Cheney did a similar and worse thing), wouldn't a connected heart acknowledge that maybe those deleted emails where private and about her daughter's wedding? I certainly have thousands of emails hanging around online. Why not Hillary? Perhaps because we have a disconnected link to our hearts and therefore choose strife and discord. Why choose to see only the worst of someone? We do create our own reality, don't we?

We add the Warrior's energy to the challenge for us to do what's right for others as well as ourselves. Mars and Pluto together are hard to resist. Add Pluto's primal power to our individual desire nature and will, and we become a channel of either evolution or devolution. Is our desire appropriate to our soul's task? Can we be a vessel for the energy of a transformed warrior? What needs to get done in the most life-enhancing way?

Mars will conjunct Pluto in Capricorn on October 19^th, carrying our Full Moon wake-up call into Pluto's cauldron of regeneration. Let the old die so the new can be reborn again.

The Sabian symbol for Mars and Pluto at 16* Capricorn is: An earthen cave crowded with uniformed men. Steve Eardley's explanation is pertinent. People are the basic resource a society can draw upon for all its group efforts. Ministering to the needs of the masses. The power of a disciplined subgroup to effect social change. Or, conformity, ignorance and authoritarianism. The symbol signals us to be prepared.

A good way to work with these intense Aries' energies—this Moon sparks our courage to explore the new, Uranus sets off the flames of self-awareness and inspiration, while Eris wants to know if we'll bring our hearts online—is to start with Eris and ask the questions. How do we handle conflict? Where do we create conflict and discord in our lives? What do we do when others create it and want to involve us? And then bring our heart into the picture. Can we get over our hurt feelings? Can we choose connection over competition? Can we step back, stay centered and bring some resolution to the conflict?

As we hold the tension of opposites, can we develop a strong compassion, a kind strength? Once we embrace Eris, the Great Awakener will use the power of the Pluto/Mars conjunction to bring down heavenly fire to inspire us to be more heart-centered in our relationships.

In the background, Saturn in Sagittarius still is challenging both Neptune in Pisces along with the Moon's Nodes in Pisces and Virgo. Now more than ever, life demands our full attention. We can stand up for what we believe and value or we can continue to let the world drift by. We can allow the lies and hypocricy to swollow our hope, or we can imagine a better future. What is real and true? Aligning ourselves with our truth is our responsibility.

Walk in the Light,

Cathy

The Cosmic Story: Libra New Moon, September 30, 2016

The Cosmic Story: Libra New Moon, September 30, 2016

Big Love!

New Moons nights are magical times. The night sky fills with millions of stars with no Moon in the sky to enchant our eyes. We look up and look out into the universe, just as the far side of the Moon does. We look into eternity. And a new seed gets planted in our collective psyche.

Each New and Full Moon occupy different signs of the Zodiac, and so different energies are evoked and different desires are stirred up throughout the year. Each sign adds a necessary dimension to our lives, and while some of us have our Sun or Moon, Ascendent or planets in the New Moon sign, we all embody that sign's energy in some way in our charts. So this month, all of us can say in truth, “I am a Libra!” It just depends on how much emphasis we put into this sign's purpose by astrological planet and house, and by our personal disposition.

Even more than with other signs, Libra strongly affects everyone, because Libra is the sign of the Other, so it impacts all our Relationships, even our relationship to our Self. Everytime we engage with another person, be it a business partner, a client, a friend, a child, a family member, a lover, a stranger, that's us partaking in the Libra archetype. Libra also initiates us into finding the balance between the inner feminine (our being) and masculine (our doing), so that we become whole in ourselves; so that we engage with others as unique individuals instead of as our projected shadow stereotypes.

Libra is a social air sign, interested in intelligent conversation, beauty and art as well as diplomacy, peace and social progress. Libra wants real justice, fairness and balance in our laws, our beliefs and our actions. And yet while it is an air/thinking sign, Libra has heart. With Venus/Aphrodite as the ruler of Libra, she balances her head and her heart to help us find truth, beauty and love. 

Edward Burne-Jones

 Where do you think Libra's social skills come from? Aprhodite's Courtesans throughout the ages where the ones who shaped much of our Western aesthetic. With Aphrodite comes the Muses, inspiring us to create Art That Matters to others. During this month of Libra as well as this whole next year, we get to express ourselves through any of the arts that inspire us. What about using ART to speak about this election in the US? Where are our musicians and artists in this time of dire beauty and chaos? The Arts speak to justice, beauty and truth. It is a heartfelt expression that speaks to us viscerally.

Now, to add a little more spice to this juicy energy, the biggest planet in our solar system, Jupiter, has just arrived in the sign of Libra, and will be traveling through it until next October 2017. So the sign of Libra and all our relationships will be especially energized this year. That means, pay attention! Jupiter is a big energy. Learn to work with it. Especially through the lens of your chart. Astrology can give structure to your life and help you name parts of yourself and your gifts so you can make the best choices for your life. Jupiter in a chart indicates how you fit into the larger culture. So knowing where Jupiter and Libra are in your charts can open doors to the outer world for you. Libra says: Don't be afraid to look for partners to do it with.

Jupiter, the Light-Bringer

 Jupiter in Libra can engender in us a desire to become more noble and honorable in our actions to others and to ourselves. Jupiter gives us the enthusiasm, curiosity and wanderlust to expand our sense of the possible and in the sign of relationships, this year could very well see some relationship healing for those generations with Uranus (1968-75), Pluto (1971-84) and Neptune (1942-56/57) in Libra, since Jupiter will become part of the still ongoing revolutionary and evolutionary Uranus in Aries square to Pluto in Capricorn. More change is on its way. In fact, be prepared for Revolution 2.5 as Jupiter lights up the Pluto/Uranus revolutionary-evolutionary energies again.

Jupiter is the Roman Father god, in many ways similar to Zeus, the king of the gods of Olympus. Zeus was the Greek ideal of kingly rule, upholder of social law and order, merciful Father and judge, mediator and wise counselor. (This is why Jupiter/Zeus rules Sagittarius, the sign of cosmic law.) Sitting high on Olympus, Zeus overthrew the rule of the Titans and represented a more civilized world than that of the primal, titanic powers who ruled an earlier age. Or at least that's the story patriarchy tells.

With this expansive energy focused on the realm of relationships, we might find our hearts growing big enough to encompass the compassion we need to help bring the world back into balance. We might find ourselves stepping out of our personal concerns and opening our hearts to future generations who need us to stand up for justice now. Saving our planet isn't about saving Mother Earth—she'll heal in time. Saving our planet is about leaving a sustainable and sustaining Earth for future generations. Jupiter in Libra can encourage our more noble character to stand up and have a say in how our laws affect us and the world.

And in the relationship realm, Jupiter in Libra can help us be both noble and truthful about our relationship needs. So on all levels, this is the year to engage with zest and joy in relationships!

The Libra New Moon, September 30, 2016

This Libra New Moon occurs on September 30^th at 5:11pm PDT/ 8:11pm EDT/ and October 1^st at 12:11am GMT.

The Sabian symbol¹ for the Sun and Moon at 9* Libra is: Three 'Old Masters' hanging on the wall of a special room at an art gallery. Dane Rudhyr's symbolic reading suggests that going back to these 'old Masters' in a time of chaos can help us find the right values we need to sustain us during the deep changes we're going through. He speaks of our three-fold soul as the Rays of Power, of Love-Wisdom, and of Intelligence-in-action. That means we have to learn to be pure channels for these three dimensions of our psyches, consciously choosing how to use our spiritual inheritance.

This New Moon calls us to concretely identify ourselves with our HIGHER SELF. We do this by being inspired by great teachers and leaders and legendary characters. Jupiter in Libra will help your meditation in this way. Get back in touch with the archetype that calls your name and let its energy give you the confidence to Be in a new way and to act from that new Being. This type of meditation uses the imagination to open us to new wisdom, being and action.

The Sabian symbol for Jupiter at 5* Libra is: A man revealing to his students the foundations of an inner knowledge upon which a 'New World' could be built. Rudhyr sees this as a form of 'transmission' from teacher to student. Ancient wisdom being transferred to the student from the guru. In reality, it's the feminine embodiment of this inner wisdom which will build the new world. Once we learn to access this inner knowledge—the foundations—we open to the world of quantum possiblities. This is the feminine, heroine's journey—the inner journey of self-knowledge and connection to the Higher Self, the other side of the Hero's Journey. Both journeys are necessary to bring balance and peace to our own lives and to the world.

So this New Moon, we are being blessed with the inspiration and tools for a New Birth within our psyches, which in turn can open up the outer world for us in new and enriching ways. This winter, learn to work with the imagination so that your springtime will blossom and next year's harvest will be fruitful.

The Birth of Venus by

 William-Adolphe Bouguereau, c. 1879

As I mentioned earlier, Venus/Aphrodite is the ruler of Libra, housing her archetypal energy, which expresses itself through connection, love, wisdom, sensuality and sexuality, beauty and art. While patriarchy has done everything it can to vilify as well as dominate Aphrodite's energy and blessings, we can still re-discover her power when we express love, create art, listen to our bodies' wisdom, care for the Earth and each other. These beautiful, feminine gifts of life have been raped and pillaged, polluted like the waters of the Earth. And yet they will rise again when we consciously own them. Why have we been taught to be embarrassed by, afraid of or unconscious about our bodies? Why don't we trust Love? Why is it so hard to communicate our feelings? Why haven't we been taught how to be in relationships, since it is something we all crave? Why don't we understand ourselves and others?

Patriarchy has tried to make us forget the power, wisdom and intelligence of a loving heart. Or at least has tried to make it irrelevant to important issues of life. Aphrodite/Venus can show us how to reclaim this power. At this Libra New Moon, the planet Venus is in Scorpio, the sign of psychological transformation. Venus in Scorpio looks deeply into the heart of things and digs out the truth, whether we like it or not. This tranformative Venus can help us look at and accept our Shadows, those wounded aspects of our psyche that when seen and embraced, give us new energy and inspiration.

At this New Moon, Venus helps us dig out the truth of our hearts—what fears live there, what hopes want to blossom, what visions want to manifest. All too often in astrology, we reduce Venus/Aphrodite to a few key words like love, sex, beauty and money, values. Or even worse, flirtatious, jealous, moody, manipulative, competitive. But those words do not begin to describe the deep mystery of Venus/Aphrodite, who leads us to Wisdom! Any goddess energy that can give us that gift is deeper than a few catchwords.

If you actually go outside and follow the planets in their nightly rounds, you soon discover what many ancient cultures knew: Venus tracks a 5-pointed star in the sky over 8 years, which repeats over and over before shifting to another place in the sky. A few astrologers are working with this Venus cycle again and the results are rich indeed. Both Arielle Guttman's Venus Star Rising² and Adam Gainsburg's The Light of Venus³ shift our awareness to the living, moving night sky and its cycles and patterns. Venus makes a pentagram in our skies over an 8-year period. Both Venus and the pentagram symbolize feminine energies. These are the energies our culture has tried to deny to its detriment. It is appropriate that we reclaim this Heavenly Venus/Aprhodite again.

Venus has always been associated with the brightly shining Morning Star, rising before the Sun. As Morning Star, she is closest to the Earth and is more assertive and warlike, waxing to her fullest. She is also the Evening Star, when the planet Venus is furthest from the Earth. As Evening Star, Venus brings Heaven down to Earth as Aphrodite Urania, gifting us with Wisdom. We experience peace and tranquility and gather in the harvest of our knowing. As Adam Gainsburg³ says of this stage of the Venus cycle, this is the time to integrate the deep internal feminine transformation that we've just experienced. It's time to have practical outlets for our new understanding and intuitive wisdom.

This Venus in Scorpio is an Evening Star. She is just starting to separate from the Sun and if you go outside at sundown, you'll see her rising higher and higher into the sky. She's sending her beauty down to us, so that we too might shine brightly. As Evening Star, Venus gives us a bigger stage to act upon. What and who can you influence with your truth and wisdom? Venus is asking us to remember who we really are and to access our wisdom. We live in a livng, evolving universe. Anything is possible if we love life rather than sink into darkness and death.

Venus is the call to life. Venus is so important that I'll be working on a blog about her this month. Check in at my Lady Wisdom Chronicles to see when I post it.

Mars just slipped into the sign of Capricorn, finally leaving Sagittarius, where's he's been coming and going since early March 2016. As our Mars desire nature gets grounded, it challenges (squares) this New Moon in Libra. Whatever we're planting and hoping for and communicating with others about has to find practical outlets.

Saturn and Neptune and the Nodes are still in play. How can we release limiting beliefs to make room for new possibilities and stories that fit our Triune Nature: our Power, our Love/Wisdom and our Intelligence-in-Action. Our Body, Soul and Spirit.

We are being called home to our Selves. Don't forget you're not alone.

Walk in the Light,

Cathy

1. Dane Rudhyar, An Astrological Mandala.  All Sabian symbols.

2. Arielle Guttman, Venus Star Rising.  

3. Adam Gainsburg, The Light of Venus.

Looking, Walking, Being -- Denise Levertov

Looking, Walking, Being

"The World is not something to
look at, it is something to be in."
-- Mark Rudman

I look and look.
Looking's a way of being: one becomes,
sometimes, a pair of eyes walking.
Walking wherever looking takes one.

The eyes
dig and burrow into the world.
They touch
fanfare, howl, madrigal, clamor.
World and the past of it,
not only
visible present, solid and shadow
that looks at one looking.

And language? Rhythms
of echo and interruption?
That's
a way of breathing.

breathing to sustain
looking,
walking and looking,
through the world,
in it.

~ Denise Levertov ~


(Poems, 1960-1967)

The Cosmic Story: Mercury Retrograde Ends: What Did You Integrate?

Stepping into Our New Story

Mercury, the quickest planet in our solar system, is slowing down, stopping and reversing direction tonight at 1:31am September 22nd, hours before the Autumn Equinox.  Mercury has been retrograde since August 30th and has moved backwards through Virgo from the very end of this sign of healing, integration and wholeness to about the middle. The question Mercury tried to answer is: what do you want to become so we can begin to build it?  Virgo's energy is geared toward the integration of Body, Soul (Mind and Heart) and Spirit.  To be your Self and to own it.

It seems auspicious that Mercury will stop to observe us as the Earth comes into Balance for the Equinox--in the North, we will celebrate the Autumn Equinox while in the South, you will celebrate Spring Equinox.  For both hemispheres, there will be a balance of Day and Night.  What has Mercury taught you about Balance?  The Equinox occurs at 7:22am PDT/ 10:22am EDT/ 2:22pm GMT on September 22, 2016.  What have you harvested this year?

There are the usual rumours of Mercury retrograde breakdowns: car trouble, communication difficulties, travel disruptions, computer breakdowns.  I wonder if this happens when we aren't paying attention to some inner issues: are our goals still viable?  Who don't we want to talk to? Where are we running to? Where are we overdoing, overloading or over stressing ourselves to cause breakdowns?  And people have reconnected, rediscovered and redone things.

Within the next few days, this little planet will begin to move forward again in relationship to Earth.  Our intelligence--our rational and intuitive minds--hopefully has been regenerated in some way. With Mercury in Virgo, we get to work with a transformative, magical Mind, one that alchemizes our inner energies to create a more integrated personality.  This was a great time to work with the Unconscious and bring about changes in our beliefs that have hampered us from moving forward.

This is the alchemical Mercurius/Mercury--the transformative Mind, which is how Mercury manifests as the ruler of Virgo.  What did you purify?  What did you burn off? What did you awaken? What did you imagine and how are you bringing it into your life?

This is a very strong change of direction for a few reasons.  First is that Mercury rules Virgo so makes the best use of this energy, acting as the Psychopomp or Guide of Souls here.  It likes to pay attention to details and get it all perfect--or as perfect as it can be at the moment.  It can lead you into the Unconscious and guide you through the dangers there until you face the energies calling you down.  And then it can bring you back up into the light of consciousness, changed and whole.

Mercury Stationing Direct, 9.22.16

The second reason this planetary station of Mercury is strong is that it forms a grand mutable cross (a planet in each of the 4 mutable signs): Mercury in Virgo opposes Neptune in Pisces and squares both Saturn in Sagittarius and the Moon in Gemini.  The Moon and Neptune open us to the Unconscious, while Mercury and Saturn fine tune what we find there and bring it into consciousness.

We have to look at our limiting beliefs and see if they're valid.  If not, they do not serve us or Life itself.  Once we let go of old beliefs and habits of thought and know what we want, we can consciously choose what we believe. We can live our purpose and prosper once we release the chains that bind us to our past.  The lunar eclipse last week released our old stories back into the Collective Unconscious.  Now we can begin to live our new stories with focus and energy, because we've left the old world behind.

This Mercury retrograde gave us a blessing.  Let us honor it by living it.
Cathy

Mercury Retrograde Special

If you want to see how this Mercury retrograde affected you, I am offering a special 1/2 hour reading.  Just email me at cathy@wisdom-of-astrology.com and we'll set up an appointment.  If you can name and own what you learned in the past 24 days, you can use it to help build your new life.

The Cosmic Story: Pisces Lunar Eclipse, September 16, 2016

The Cosmic Story: Pisces Lunar Eclipse, September 16, 2016

Believe It or Not!

The other day when I was out doing my laundry, an aging Baby-Boomer said to me, “When are you gonna take your Bernie sticker off your car?” I looked at him and said, 'Never'. He started in on me about how Bernie was leading a 60s style revolution (yes, indeed he was) and the kids just didn't step up. I was stunned. So I said, “That's not true at all.” I said perhaps it was that the establishment just wasn't ready for such radical change all at once. But he persisted in his belief that the revolution didn't happen or won't continue (based on his 60s experience perhaps?). And he blamed it on the very people who were trying to make change happen. A bit disgruntled if you ask me. I wish I could give him some faith in us.

This encounter is a perfect example of the background energies supporting this upcoming Pisces Lunar Eclipse. While they've moved beyond their 7 squares after early 2015, we're still experiencing the backlash of the Pluto in Capricorn/Uranus in Aries waxing square. This is the energy of a crisis of action. The Hero's Journey. The overcoming of obstacles. The setting down of strong roots and sending out of strong shoots. 

 These two powerful energies—Pluto as lord of Death & Rebirth and Evolution and Uranus, the Great Awakener, the Revolutonary, the Idealist—began a new cycle in 1965-66. Like a New Moon, they joined together, and a seed was planted. A seed of Revolution and Evolution. And instinctively, many of us understood that we had to revolutionize and evolve ourselves to know where this new re-birth was headed. And because of that inner search, many hippie Boomers turned to self-examination, spiritual seeking and health rather than to power, corporate climbing and government. (And of course, many didn't.)

But now we see that if we are to establish a just and healthy world culture, we have to get involved in the governing structures of our world. Our environment knows no boundaries. We have to make this very big change together. We have to choose to consciously evolve. We have to bring our greater self-awareness into service to the world. For while people can take to the streets to demand justice and change, those people we choose to govern for us have to be of us. If we're going to take responsibility for our world, we need to get involved in it. (And that goes for me too!)

The other big celestial event that is still rippling through our collective psyches is the waning Saturn in Sagittarius/Neptune in Pisces square, which had its third and final exact square last Saturday, September 10^th. This waning square symbolizes a crisis in consciousness, where we have to choose what knowledge and meaning we want to bring forward into the next cycle. It's up to us to determine what is important to our own soul's journey. And it will be different for each of us. These two planets began their new cycle in February 1989 in Capricorn. Imagination and Spirituality. Facts and boundaries. How do we reconcile these so very different energies? What have you been learning about your beliefs since 1989? Have you arrived at some idea of your own Truth? Check the houses these planets are affecting your birth charts for clues about what you need to do now.

Saturn challenging Neptune echos the theme of the waning square, because both Sagittarius and Pisces are signs of cosmic law, belief and faith. So this square has us shifting through our beliefs, looking at our truths and illusions, discerning what Truths we will stand up for. Will we bully and bluster about our beliefs as if we owned the truth or will we stand firm in what we hope for and believe in?

Here is the celestial picture of what this man was experiencing when he made his demand of me. He felt disillusion that the Bernie revolution didn't happen just like in the 60s. (Neptune in Pisces) He has lost faith and he stood up for that lost faith by picking on me for my Bernie bumper sticker. (Saturn in Sagittarius) What he doesn't know is that this time the revolution is going to take hold, because we not only have the heavenly energies on our side, we also have lots of old hippies helping the younger 'hippies' just like Hans Solo helped the young freedom fighters in the new Star Wars. Together we now have enough people to 'radicalize the middle' in the next 4 years. Everyone wants a better life. Some of us have to go out in front and encourage the rest of us to participate in making it happen.

Change is inevitable, but now it is a matter of life and death as the Earth's climate spirals out of control. I look at my 1-year-old grandson and my friends' grandchildren and it isn't fair of us to leave them a dying world. That's where our society is heading and our leaders don't seem to care. So it is up to us to care, not only for our children's children's sakes, but to honor Mother Earth and restore balance. A life out of balance created this mess we find ourselves in. Let's help bring it back into its original balance and blessings.

To help us do that (and since the Goddess always works in 3s), Jupiter is leaving Virgo overnight and entering Libra in the early morning hours of September 9^th, 2016. Jupiter, or the Greek Zeus, is the supreme god who brings blessings and luck, a wider perspective and understanding, peace and justice when society moves to the rhythms of the cosmic order. Too often, he is also used to justify the societal order of the day. But in going back to his archetypal roots, Jupiter is the King of the Gods, the Great Benefic father-god, who stands for upholding the laws and keeping the peace in fairness and equality. On an energetic level, Jupiter represents expansion, curiosity and higher knowledge. Or too much of a good thing!

Jupiter in Libra enjoys a much easier relationship with this cardinal Air sign than it did in Earth-bound Virgo. Jupiter's lust for expansion, his curiosity and his vision are better suited to Libra's social interchanges—heaven knows we need more social justice and economic equality in the world. The revolution has just begun. Jupiter in Libra might tilt the scales of justice back to a more balanced state. And there is hope that Jupiter will manifest his better qualities, since Saturn (which is exalted in Libra) is in Jupiter's sign of Sagittarius, the great Lawgiver. Symbolically, they're living in each others homes and can use their energies more freely and compatibly, which helps with their upcoming sextile—an aspect of intellectual openness and inventiveness. If you've been wanting to figure out where you are headed, these two energies—of expansion and limitation, of higher knowledge and responsibility, of spirit and form—will be more in synch with each other through next winter. And throughout next year, Jupiter will engage that Pluto/Uranus square, highlighting the need for social renewal.

And what better way to enter a sign than to have that sign's Mistress there to greet him. Libra's ruler, Venus, is also in Libra now blessing Jupiter's arrival with the gifts of beauty, diplomacy, cooperation, connection, wisdom and love. Libra is concerned with relationships and more equality between the sexes. This will be a great year to work on all our relationships. Venus is opposite Eris and Uranus in Aries, using her persuasion to transform chaos into meaning—the arts are always a good way to make that happen. Venus is accompanied by the 9 Muses in Libra, so connect with your Muse and share your vision with the world.

Let's intend, for the next 13 months while Jupiter travels through Libra, that the Scales of Justice will be balanced, that the laws of our lands will be fair for all of us and that our leaders weld the tool of diplomacy rather than the weapons of war.

May holy Aphrodite guide Jupiter to judge our actions with mercy and compassion.

So Mote It Be!

Pisces Full Moon Lunar Eclipse, September 16, 2016

So now that we understand the background energies, we can look at the lunar eclipse coming up this Friday. This Pisces Full Moon is called The Harvest Moon because it's the closest full Moon to the Autumn Equinox (on September 22) and helps give more light for bringing in the harvest. The other interesting fact about the Harvest Moon is that since it rises near the Equator (near the horizon) it rises right around sunset for a few days, so it looks like the Full Moon lingers. Go out and look!

This Harvest Moon is also a penumbral eclipse of the Moon, meaning that the Moon only moves through Earth's outer shadow. It's very subtle and barely discernable. But the energies between Sun and Moon are still disrupted and so, as with all Full Moons, we become aware of things that we've been unconscious of, finally letting go of what no longer serves life. With the Earth's shadow kissing the Moon, perhaps we really need to look at our collective shadows—the greed, violence, entitlement, exceptionalism and waste that our first world civilization spews out along with its pollution. 

The Pisces Full Moon lunar eclipse occurs on Friday, September 16, 2016 at 12:05pm PDT/ 3:05pm EDT/ 7:05pm GMT.

 

The Sabian symbol¹ for the Sun at 25* Virgo is: A simple testimonial given at a wartime funeral, before the guns are picked up once more. We honor our war dead (even while we do not take care of our veterans) with a proclamation of a job well done amidst danger. Perhaps this symbol encourages us to recognize and honor those parts of ourselves which have sustained us through the 'dark nights of the soul' we've all experienced. Sometimes even our shadows help us endure when nothing else can. But now that part of our life is over and we have to continue to grow more aware of what we hold as Truth. This is an image of someone who is willing to stand up for Truth, even in the face of death.

The Sabian symbol¹ for the Moon at 25* Pisces is: After drastic reforms, a purified clergy officiates anew. This seems to indicate a renewal of spiritual ideals after releasing hypocritical blockages to true insight into ourselves. If we are going to find our Truth, then we have to see those shadows which have kept us blind to our unconscious actions.

The Pisces/Virgo axis of the zodiac brings together Spirit and Matter, Heaven and Earth and Masculine and Feminine energies, engendering growth and understanding. This Full Moon, aside from being eclipsed, also holds together the energies of Chiron in Pisces, Mercury retrograde in Virgo and Mars in Sagittarius. 

 The Sun in Virgo is joined by Mercury retrograde on Monday September 12^th, initiating a new cycle of intelligence that can illuminate some of the answers we've been searching for.Mercury in Virgo has more to do with Hermes Trismegistus, the alchemical Mercury--the transformed and transformative Mind.   It's a great time to unite head and heart to come up with innovative solutions to outstanding questions. And both Mercury and the Sun square Mars in Sagittarius on September 12-13^th, helping us bring some of those truths to light.

The Moon in Pisces is conjunct Chiron, showing us the deep wounds we all bear from a patriarchal culture that shames us into unworthiness rather than blesses us for our uniqueness. With the help of Sun/Mercury, we can begin to name and release some of those wounds. The pain they caused us can be released so we can go into the future without shame or blame. Once you've released old limiting beliefs of unworthiness, you can let yourself be filled with Joy! For Joy is our divine inheritance.

Mars, which has been in Sagittarius since early March (except for its retrograde back into Scorpio from late May to early August), squares this eclipsed Full Moon, challenging us to become spiritual warriors in life, standing up not only for our personal truths but also for our collective well-being. Mars' will power, courage and need for action is the tension point between the Sun and Moon. What will we do with the knowledge this lunar eclipse sends our way? Listen to your dreams. Open to your intuition and your mind's musings. Things that you've kept hidden from yourself will set you free.

Two planets station (change direction) just after this Full Moon eclipse. On September 21-22, Mercury turns direct at 15* Virgo: A mirror and a faceted bottle of perfume.¹ Mercury's message is to look at things from different perspectives. A mirror shows us another view of ourselves while the facets of that perfume bottom reflect light at different angles. Perhaps to get the whole picture, we all need to look at things from multiple perspectives.

Pluto stations direct on September 26^th at 15* Capricorn: In a hospital for the poor, a children's ward full of playthings. Pluto in Capricorn has really opened our eyes to the inequality within western society. Regardless of what we Americans think, we do have our own 'royalty'--the royalty of the wealthy, which isn't so different from the aristocrats of old Europe. As Pluto finishes up this retrograde half-way through the sign of government and finance, social institutions and our place in society, we are given an image of compassion for the new life that often feels powerless. Perhaps now, the Collective Unconscious of Pisces will be validated instead of rejected and made irrelevant. Perhaps, the will of the people will override the will of the few.

And of course, we celebrate Autumn Equinox in the northern hemisphere on September 22, while in the southern hemisphere you're celebrating the return of Spring. The day of balance between day and night is struck once again. In the Fall, now the days will shorten and the darkness will grow. These are the days where we once again have choices to make. What will we save from this year's harvest to sustain us over the winter months? What projects want more work? What inner desires still need to be met? When we release our old limiting beliefs, what is set free to blossom? As one of my favorite pagan chants for Equinox says:

Onward we go round the spiral
Touching darkness, touching light
Twice each turn we rest in balance
Make choices on this night
Make choices on this night. 

 

Walk in the Light,

Cathy

1. Steve Eardley, The Revised Sabian Symbols. 1982.